Record spike in Jaguar sales as demand soars

Range Rovers and Land Rovers are built on the production line of the Jaguar Land Rover factory in Solihull, England.Range Rovers and Land Rovers are built on the production line at the Jaguar Land Rover factory in Solihull, EnglandRange Rovers and Land Rovers are built on the production line at the Jaguar Land Rover factory in Solihull, England

LUXURY car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover sold a record volume of vehicles last year, with rising demand in markets such as Brazil, China, India and the United States helping boost sales by 19pc.

Sales of Jaguar rose the fastest, up 42pc on the previous year, while Land Rover volumes rose 15pc, the firm said.

Mumbai-based Tata Motors, which bought Jaguar Land Rover from Ford in 2008 for $2.5bn (€1.82bn), has targeted emerging markets for growth.

2013's increase in sales was driven by Jaguar's F-Type convertible and Land Rover's Range Rover and Range Rover Evoque models. The F-Type began shipping in May.

It was "a great year in which we have seen some incredibly exciting new models launched to customers across the world," according to Andy Goss, Jaguar Land Rover group sales operations director.

Luxury carmakers around the world enjoyed strong levels of growth in 2013, with British brands performing particularly well.

Last week, Rolls Royce said it had hit its fourth straight annual sales record in 2013, driven largely by demand for personalised vehicles from the super-rich in Asia and the Middle East, while Bentley also reported record sales.